Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Facing the Wall
Under the eaves of Lianbi Palace, the emperor did not move for a long time as he watched the woman's figure fearlessly rushing towards the heavy rain and finally disappearing in the wet and pouring night.
Xu Delu estimated that the emperor had stayed alone for about enough time, so he quietly opened an umbrella and went to pick him up.
As soon as I arrived in front of Lianbi Palace, I saw the emperor standing on the corridor behind the rain curtain, with his hands behind his back, looking deep in thought.
He didn't dare ask more, wondering if His Majesty was still dwelling on the past.
He couldn't recall much about that past, but he knew that Princess Lianbi wasn't raised by her biological mother, Empress Zhenchun, and that it was thanks to her brother, His Majesty, who took great care of her that the princess was able to grow up safely. However, when His Majesty was appointed crown prince, the princess chose to rebel with another prince.
In short, if you can avoid mentioning this kind of thing, it’s best not to mention it at all.
Xu Delu didn't dare to go forward to urge people, so he waited not far away.
Xiao Fang noticed the person and glanced at him calmly: "What are you doing standing there?"
Xu Delu then hurried forward and held out his umbrella: "I'm waiting for you."
Xiao Fang nodded: "Let's go."
His Majesty is not a person who shows his emotions too much, but Xu Delu always felt that although he was worried today, his mood should be okay. He seemed to be in better shape than before he came to Lianbi Palace.
Walking on the rain-soaked palace road, I actually had the leisure to joke with him.
"You are the only one who cares about me, a lonely man."
Xu Delu was too ashamed to accept this. His Majesty already had a wife and children, and a harem filled with countless beauties. He smiled wryly and expressed his loyalty, "How come I feel so many people miss you? Unlike me, I have no one else to think about, only Your Majesty."
The emperor listened to his flawless flattery but said nothing more.
The cold glow of the stone lanterns on both sides of the palace road made the raindrops along the way shine silvery.
At this moment, the emperor seemed to be slightly reminded of a swift escaping for its life.
She was afraid of him, like most people he met, but she was also the first one to dare to disobey him like this. Couldn't she see that he didn't allow her to leave?
Or perhaps her humility and fear were merely a way of showing weakness, so as to lower the other party's guard. Perhaps, at her core, she wasn't submissive at all.
The emperor raised his lip. Everyone has a bad nature. Without a bit of stubbornness, taming them and controlling them would be pointless.
*
Since she could not stay in Lianbi Palace, Qingzan had to avoid the area with densely populated palaces and spent the night in the woods beside Taiye Lake. Taiye Lake was the center of the inner court, far away from the palace gates, so she would not run into the guards nearby, nor would she be seen by the guards on the city wall.
Even so, she still didn't dare to sleep the whole night, for fear that the guards would pass by during patrol and she would not be able to hide in time.
Until finally the east turned white.
Every three days, the concubines would go to Fengzao Palace to pay their respects to the Empress before the hour of Mao. Qingzan took advantage of the bustle of activity in and out of Fengzao Palace and slipped back through a side door.
After changing into clean clothes, the first thing she did was to hand the jade material to the palace maid on duty in the main hall: "I originally brought it back yesterday, but the queen went to bed early yesterday, so I didn't dare to disturb her."
Qingzan was not making excuses to exonerate herself, but it was not her fault that she could not come back last night. She could not just accept this loss in vain. If she could give an explanation that was acceptable to everyone, perhaps the matter could be resolved.
The premise is that the Queen will not deliberately cause trouble.
I'll go explain things to the aunt who did the ward rounds yesterday later and see if I can cancel the record in the night rounds book.
Unexpectedly, the palace maid in front of the hall seemed to have been waiting for her since morning. She took the things but did not let her go: "The Queen will see you later. You can wait in the side corridor."
Qingzan hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head without asking any questions, then stepped aside. She hadn't rested all night, and had been caught in the rain. She'd exhausted herself trying to keep her eyelids open, and she felt much duller than usual. Naturally, she couldn't muster a smile, and she was even more reluctant to speak.
The palace maid rolled her eyes in her heart. Who was she trying to show off to by pretending to be so noble all day long?
She said angrily, "By the way, the Queen specifically instructed you to stand facing the wall as punishment for your delay in completing your mission and staying out all night."
After hearing what the palace maid said, Qingzan became even more certain that even if the Queen did not instruct her on what Jinyu had told the palace maids last night, she was at least aware of it.
She did so silently.
Before leaving, the maid patted the lid of the box in her hand and said in a tone that was full of admonition: "Your Majesty asked for something yesterday, and you only submitted it today. You must not be lazy and slack like this again in the future."
Qing Zan lowered her eyes quietly, her eyes entangled with thoughts, and she never tried to argue further. This palace maid was merely conveying her master's wishes, and arguing with her was pointless. Besides, the palace was never a place for reason.
At this moment, in the main hall of Fengzao Palace, new and old people were gathered together.
All the concubines had heard about what happened yesterday. Guessing that the Queen was unhappy, Concubine Wu and several talented women Baolin took turns and tried their best to say a lot of nice polite words, and finally managed to flatter the Queen and make her feel at ease.
Soon they were jostling each other over trivial matters. The queen was just like watching a cricket fight. At first she enjoyed the fun, but after listening for a while she got tired of it. She didn't want to see so many beauties competing with her for her beauty, so she sent them away soon.
Concubine Wu originally wanted to stay in the palace for a while longer as she did in the past, to talk to the Queen alone and improve their relationship, but when she thought of the misunderstanding that happened yesterday, she was afraid that the Queen would dislike her, so she ran out first.
When she came out, she pouted and gossiped with the concubine closest to her: "We're here to pay our respects today, and Consort Ming Zhaoyi made excuses and didn't come. How can she treat the Empress like this?"
The so-called excuse, the "excuse" is of course the eldest prince's "excuse". This excuse is almost always successful. After all, if the eldest prince makes a mistake, no one can bear the responsibility. Ming Zhaoyi is closely following the eldest prince, and always puts the heir to the throne first, which gives her a reason to neglect other matters.
Walking alongside Concubine Wu was Concubine Zhen. Her title, "Zhen," clearly indicated her considerable favor. Before entering the palace, Concubine Zhen was not only the emperor's favorite concubine, but her father had also been the emperor's tutor during his time in the Eastern Palace. With both favor and favor, how could she not be spoiled?
Concubine Zhen always looked down on Concubine Wu and couldn't stand the way Concubine Wu felt wronged for the Queen, but Concubine Ming obviously disgusted her even more.
She then said without hesitation, "The eldest prince asked her to take care of her. She has diarrhea one day and a high fever the next. She is so frail and sickly. She doesn't look like someone who will live a long and happy life."
Wupin was timid when she heard it. She immediately looked around and lowered her voice timidly: "How dare you say that? I dare not listen!"
Concubine Zhen sneered, "Look at your cowardly little guts. You don't even dare to listen to the truth. No wonder you're full of empty lies."
Concubine Wu felt a little embarrassed after being exposed by her, but when she thought that few people could get away with it like this with Concubine Zhen, she felt less upset.
She knew, of course, that what Concubine Zhen despised most was her fawning over the Empress. But honestly, since the Empress entered the palace, her life had actually been much better than before. She recalled that when His Majesty first ascended the throne last year, there were only five or six concubines in the harem, and no one was willing to pay attention to her.
Concubine Wu quickly calmed down and glanced at the little palace maid standing against the wall with her back to the crowd.
I couldn't help but look at it several more times out of curiosity.
Fengzao Palace is second only to Taiji Palace and Ganlu Palace where the emperor resides in terms of size. In front of the palace, there are usually rows of maids and a large number of palace servants. Standing there alone is not a big deal, but it is a different story if the maid stands facing the wall.
It's amazing and eye-catching no matter how you look at it.
Not only her, many of the concubines who came out of the main hall saw Qingzan.
Unlike the concubines who gossiped about each other, the palace maids were not considered serious people in their eyes, so they had no moral inhibitions when gossiping.
Someone called out to his companions, "Hey, come and see, there's a palace maiden sitting here facing the wall to reflect on her mistakes."
They covered their mouths and giggled, "It's so embarrassing."
Qingzan also felt the contemptuous and mocking looks directed at her, which were like thorns piercing her.
Fortunately, she wasn't some wealthy young lady who'd been raised in seclusion. Her repeated bowing and lowering of her head was enough to make her lose her strong sense of shame. Furthermore, compared to last night's embarrassment, today, she hadn't lost her manners, and since she was doing it on orders, she didn't feel much embarrassment at all.
If you want to watch it, go ahead and watch it. It won’t hurt you at all.
Qingzan continued to stand there calmly, ignoring the chaotic ridicule. Even after all the elegant ladies had dispersed and the Fengzao Palace had become quiet, the Queen still showed no intention of summoning him.
In the middle of the process, Jinyu came out to check and saw Qingzan standing there properly. She couldn't find any fault with her, so she pouted in boredom and was about to go back.
Qing Zan could only take the initiative to ask: "Excuse me, aunt, when will the queen be free to summon me?"
Jin Yu smiled and stopped, saying, "Why rush? I'll summon you when the time comes. Just wait!"
It was almost noon and the sun was getting stronger. Although it was not yet scorching hot, Qingzan had been up all night and was already feeling weak. Now he was like a leaf that had been drained of moisture by the sun. He was wilted and only kept going by the last bit of energy.
At this point, what else did she not understand? The queen might not even want to see her.
Just like when we were in the Marquis' Mansion.
In the past, Qingzan was assigned to serve in the old lady's courtyard. The queen at that time was the eldest daughter of the mansion. Every time she came to the old lady, she would find tasks for Qingzan to do. For example, she would make the same pastry five or six times. If the taste became too bland or the texture became too loose or hard, she would have to start over again.
The old lady never stopped this, and Qingzan felt resentful at first, until she overheard the old lady saying to the nanny beside her: "Lanzhen has been spoiled and pampered since she was a child. If I defend her now, she will feel even more embarrassed. We can't bully her openly, but is there no way to deal with her behind her back? This is such a harmless matter, so it's better to let her go."
Only then did Qingzan realize the old lady's kind intentions.
She was just a servant, and she should be content that the old lady showed such care for her.
But why...
Before she could figure out where the Queen's strong hostility came from from the very beginning, Qingzan's eyes suddenly caught sight of a corner of a russet-yellow gown.
From afar, appearing in the corner of my eye.
If the color hadn't been so eye-catching, she wouldn't have noticed it so quickly.
The thousand-year-old mulberry wood, with a color as bright as the sun, is known as the "golden wood." The only person in the world who can wear the yellow mulberry tree is himself.
And she had just met this person last night.
Qingzan almost thought that she was so sleepy that her eyes were blurry. When the emperor was traveling, how could there be no guards to inform him in advance? When the emperor came in person, how could there be no one to sing the ceremony or pay homage?
But she didn't dare to look any longer. Even if there was only a one in ten chance that it was really the Holy Emperor, it would be terrifying enough.
Just last night, she had deceived the emperor by telling him that she was serving in the Empress Dowager's Palace. How could she allow the emperor to see her in Fengzao Palace now?
The concubines' casual teasing would not cost her life, but the crime of deceiving the emperor was punishable by death.
The exquisitely undulating front of her palace gown was almost touching the wall, and the snow-white tip of her nose was almost rubbing against the wall dust. Qingzan was tense all over.
She had never wished so much as she did at that moment that she was really an ant, so that she could at least hide in the safety of her own tiny body and not be exposed to the public without any defense.
The yellow figure was getting closer and closer.
However, the young emperor walked across the open space in front of Fengzao Palace and stepped onto the steps calmly and steadily. He seemed not to notice the figure standing on the corridor on the side, but just walked in without looking around from the main path in the middle.
Unlike Qing Zan's miserable state after a night of running around, the emperor today, clad in a dazzling array of dragon robes, looked far more imposing and commanding than last night, a stark contrast to her. Ye Yu hadn't left him feeling even slightly embarrassed, making their time together last night seem absurd and unreal.
Perhaps she was overthinking it and the emperor would soon forget her? Qing Zan let out a soft breath.
As Xiao Fang walked, he raised his hand to stop the palace maids who were about to kowtow. His voice was calm, yet with an innate coldness: "Where is the Queen now?"
Feng Bi, the most respected eunuch among the servants in the outer room, hurried forward to lead the emperor.
In the inner room, the queen could not believe her eyes. Like a bride welcoming her husband home, she hurriedly stood up and walked forward. The hairpins and earrings on her head had lost their steady grace and were swaying a little more than usual.
As they approached, the Queen paused again, with a youthful smile on her face, and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, why didn't you send someone to inform me? I haven't prepared anything yet."
Xiao Fang chuckled faintly: "I also want to see what the Queen is like in private."
The Queen blushed, a bit provoked by these words. Before she became a calm and proper Queen Mother, she was also a woman, with her own dreams of love and the desire to be close to her husband.
Feeling encouraged, she took his arm with a tender affection and said, "Does your majesty find your current appearance satisfactory?"
The Emperor had already taken a step forward, leaving her hand empty. "I missed dinner with the Empress yesterday. It's not too late to make up for it at noon today."
While the emperor was saying this, the palace servants had diligently set up two low couches and dining beds for the emperor and empress to sit on separately and have lunch together.
He was sitting in a high position, looking at me coldly, and seemed extremely distant and unapproachable.
The empress wanted to reply shyly and playfully, "If Your Majesty comes, it's never too late." But seeing the emperor's expression, she swallowed the endearing words back into her stomach and became bewildered, "But I haven't had time to ask for food to be prepared..."
The three meals a day in Fengzao Palace are prepared by the small kitchen, not the inner kitchen. Today, only lunch for the Queen was prepared as usual. Although the portion is enough and more than enough for two people, it is inevitably cramped to entertain the Emperor.
The Queen's words made Xu Delu frown. "Your Majesty, if you say this, isn't it the same as blaming His Majesty for coming here without even saying hello?"
Besides, since His Majesty has come uninvited, does it matter what he eats?
The emperor didn't think much of it and said calmly, "Home-cooked food will do."
The emperor ascended the throne at the age of 24 and took charge of the government. Within a year, he not only continued the reforms and new policies that were unfinished by the previous emperor, but also sharpened his sword and axe to go straight to the rotten flesh of the dynasty and target the pain points of the thirteen old surnames. Without even turning his hands, he did not stop killing monkeys to sacrifice to the sky.
To put it bluntly, the queen was actually a little afraid of him.
She herself was somewhat suspicious about whether her words were inappropriate, and nervously tried to check the emperor's expression, but the emperor's face was just as stern as usual, and no emotion could be seen.
While the meal was being served, the Queen did not forget to quietly tell the palace servants to send Qing Zan back: "Don't let her embarrass herself in front of the Emperor."
The palace maid obeyed the order.
The emperor and empress didn't say a word until the food was served.
After dinner, the emperor was about to leave. The empress hurried over and grabbed his sleeve, but she only dared to ask cautiously, "Then, Your Majesty, will you come tonight?"
Didn’t you say you wanted to make up for last night?
Xiao Fang understood what she meant, glanced back, and smiled meaningfully: "I have something to do tonight."
The queen felt mixed emotions.
Although His Majesty will not come tonight, he said he had something important to do, so it must be something important. At least he is not going to accompany other concubines. Those newcomers have not yet received favors.
The Queen suppressed her disappointment and said, "I understand."
"No need to send it." The emperor ordered coldly.
The queen finally let go and obediently stopped at the door of the inner hall, sitting there like a stone waiting for her husband to come out. She didn't start to sulk again until she could no longer see him.
Seeing the emperor leave, Jin Yu hurriedly reported to the queen: "Your Majesty, the palace servants said that Qingzan fainted on the way back."
"She fainted, so what's the rush?" The Queen curled her lips. "She couldn't even stand for a moment. She's so delicate. Her parents were counting on her to carry on the Duan family's bloodline... She must have been lucky; she wasn't taken away by the guards last night!"
Rather than whether she was unconscious, the Queen was more concerned: "Your Majesty didn't see her, did you?"
This little bitch didn't have any special abilities except that she was born too good-looking. Her parents insisted on putting her in her Fengzao Palace, which made her live in fear all day long.
However, she could defend herself against a powerless palace maid no matter what.
Jin Yu wasn't entirely sure, but seeing that the Queen was in a bad mood, she just said something nice: "I guess she didn't see it. Fortunately, the Queen reacted in time."
"That's good." A sinister look flashed across the queen's face. She was narrow-minded and would not tolerate a concubine's daughter using her to ascend to the throne!
At this time, the emperor was about to leave, and the palace maids in Fengzao Palace who were kneeling to see him off all knelt from the inner hall to the outer hall.
Yesterday, the emperor stood up the empress for Ming Zhaoyi, which made the palace maids have to be even more humble in front of the empress. Now they are all in a state of gloom. The more humble they are now, the straighter their backs will be in front of other people in the palace later.
But the emperor strode through the crowd, never looking around, not paying attention to anyone.
But when he was walking through the corridors and about to enter the magnificent palace, he suddenly glanced to the side and back.
Soon, he looked away calmly.
Xu Delu was keenly aware of this movement, and when he looked in the direction he came from, he saw only an empty corridor painted with red and colorful patterns.
What are you looking at, Your Majesty?
The author has something to say:
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The queen didn't want too many people to see the girl's face so she made her face the wall.
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